starts right now. >> developing now. massive waves have caused parts of the santa cruz wharf to collapse into the ocean, hurling people into the water. first responders rescued at least three people, and the wharf is now closed indefinitely. as waves continue

to pound the coast. good afternoon and thank you for joining us. i'm karina nova. these conditions are very dangerous, with the national weather service even calling it potentially life threatening surf. just moments ago, we heard from santa cruz police and other city officials. abc seven news reporter zach fuentes was there and joins us live with the latest. zach. >> yeah, we're at the santa cruz police department's headquarters right now where that press conference ended just about 15 minutes ago. if you followed any of our coverage or anything going on in this area, you know that santa cruz county can just not catch a break when it comes to these winter storms and high surf. but right now, let me tell you what we know so far as we look at some of the incredible video that has been pouring in on social media. 1245 is when a segment of the wharf fell into the ocean. officials say as a result of waves, that's 150ft of the end of the wharf. crews were out there, engineers determining the structural integrity of the wharf at that time, because repairs on it had already been underway and the area where a

restaurant was and some restrooms, and they were checking out the integrity of it to see if and when crews could go back out there to work now. it was around that time. 1245, that the that segment of the wharf came down. three people, three of those workers fell into the water. two were helped by rescue crews, one self rescued, and there were no serious injuries. amazingly, everyone has been accounted for. but right now there is a lot of debris and a lot of pieces of the wharf that is in the water. there are pilings in the water that officials say are very dangerous right now. a lost restroom fell into the ocean. pieces of the dock. right now, they say the restroom is at the base of one of the beaches being hit hard by waves. pilings are still in the ocean and are serious hazards. they are urging everyone to stay out of the beach right now, because they have just hundreds of pounds of debris out there right now, they're working to assess structural integrity. everyone is responding, but this is just the beginning of this concerning high surf that is expected to come in through tomorrow afternoon. as i said, the city of santa cruz, santa cruz county

cannot catch a break. and that's something officials addressed at the press conference this afternoon. take a listen. >> this most recent incident was another testament to the power of our changing climate. we're finding every year that our models or forecasts, despite all the effort that our staff put in collectively to planning for these potential incidents each year, it's really blowing through our forecasts. >> the ocean right now is extremely dangerous, so we're telling all people to stay away, to observe from a safe distance. >> yeah. so you said it. at the top of the newscast. the wharf is closed indefinitely as they work to figure out the structural integrity, how the rest of the wharf is faring right now. but again, amazingly, nobody seriously injured in this. the people who were on the wharf, that segment of the wharf at the time were taken to hospitals just to be checked out. but there are no serious injuries at this point. the rest of the wharf is evacuated, and that is a big hit to the small businesses in and around the

wharf, because a lot of people were coming out here for the holidays. a lot of people off already and coming out to santa cruz to visit and spend their money here, something that this community relies on heavily. so again, the safety is the big concern right now from officials and that debris in the ocean, they are encouraging people, asking people to stay away from it at this time while they work to figure out everything. because as they said earlier in the press conference, they are in the heat of the moment right now and taking things minute by minute. so we're going to continue to track developments out here, follow all the latest and bring it to you as soon as we get it. right now live in santa cruz. zach fuentes, abc seven news zach, thank you. >> good to know. no one was seriously hurt. and just slightly south of santa cruz and capitola, police there are telling people to stay out of the water and off the beaches. this is video of the conditions from earlier today as the high surf battered the capitola pier. capitola police say two surfers were rescued this morning and warned that the conditions are extremely dangerous. so for more on the high surf warning and the rain on the way, let's get to abc seven news meteorologist

drew tuma. >> we're looking at a pretty gray monday out there, a live look outside from our network of cameras, overcast in most cameras. we're watching the coast very closely because of that high surf warning. in effect, again, waves could break 30ft in some areas, so definitely want to stay out of the water today and tomorrow. temperatures right now a wide range in the 50s currently where we have a lot of cloud cover. san francisco 59 but 64 in oakland feels mild. little muggy out there. san jose 69 degrees. half moon bay coming in at 57 degrees in the north bay. live. look at san rafael in the background. santa rosa, petaluma, napa, all in the mid and upper 50s. fairfield. concord. similar story. livermore a touch warmer, currently at 62, so visibility was an issue this morning. still has some pockets of fog out there. you can see half moon bay, concord, novato dealing with a mile or two of visibility, a lot of low clouds out there. those clouds will stick around through the first half of the day tomorrow. and

then tomorrow afternoon. the sunshine does come back to finish christmas eve. here's live doppler seven along with satellite. you can see this system kind of getting its act together. some light showers to be expected in the north bay today. some mist and drizzle elsewhere, but we will see this system come onshore first thing tomorrow morning. and as it does, this cold front will bring a brief round of very heavy rain first thing and some gusty winds. so look at your rainfall potential through the next 24 hours. much of today. very low chance of finding any sort of dramatic rain. it's tomorrow morning. you can see closer to three, four, 5 a.m. that's when the front moves through here, and you may wake up to some heavy rain. even the potential for a clap of thunder first thing tomorrow morning. so highs today will keep it in the 60s. area wide overcast skies. some mist and drizzle will hold it at a level one on the storm impact scale. tonight though, we have those heavier showers arriving closer to two three, 4 a.m. that's when the storm impact scale turns into two a moderate

storm. so as you look at the details of tomorrow morning, heavy rain at times some gusty winds will keep that dangerous surf along our coast. i think the worst rain and wind is between about 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. tomorrow morning, so let's plan it out for you. here's future weather 230 in the morning, you could see that line of briefly heavy rain working its way through the north bay at that hour. by 4 a.m, it's working through the city, the east bay, the peninsula on its way into the south bay. as we transition to 7 a.m, the heaviest rain has pushed out. now we're into light and moderate showers as the sun gets up here, but by the afternoon it is out of here. we'll see a bit of sunshine to finish the day tomorrow. and that leads to a quiet wednesday, which is great news for christmas and hanukkah. rainfall totals as we head through the next 36 hours, anywhere from about a half of an inch to an inch of rain is expected. and again, a lot of this is going to fall before the sun gets up here. first thing tomorrow morning, winds will be an issue. briefly, you'll find winds gusting maybe 2030 five miles per hour. this is at 4 a.m.

tomorrow morning, as that line of some heavier rain moves through here. not a lot of snow coming our way with this system. it's tapping into some warm air, so there's not a lot of cold air to work with. but in the sierra, we do have a winter weather advisory in effect tomorrow, likely 6 to 10in of snow. so if your travel does take you to tahoe tomorrow, it's going to be a little slick, likely have some sort of chain controls throughout the day. accuweather seven day forecast shows you mist, drizzle, cloudy today, wet and windy tomorrow morning, but that system is out of here so we are dry for the holidays, christmas day and hanukkah in the evening. we're looking good, but rain is back here on thursday and on and off showers through the weekend guys. >> all right drew thank you. in tahoe, five people are hurt after an accident on a ski lift at heavenly ski resort. it happened at about 10:00 this morning on the comet express lift when two chairs collided, causing three people to fall. in these photos, you can see one person still stuck on the second chair. all five people involved were taken to renown regional medical center in reno. it's still unclear what caused the

chairs to collide. according to the chronicle, comet express is the oldest detachable lift at heavenly. you are getting a live look at sfo and more than 100 flights were delayed this morning due to weather, but the delays eased up in the afternoon. abc seven news reporter gloria rodriguez has more on what to expect. >> this time lapse video shows a long line of people at sfo this morning, with the holiday travel rush underway. >> it's pretty busy, definitely busier than i expected. i probably should have left a little bit earlier. >> pretty long line, but i've been traveling a lot by myself and i'm pretty used to it. but it's nothing out of the ordinary for, you know, holiday travel. >> the fog causing some flight delays this morning, especially from chicago west. >> those flights are being affected by that. what that means is that trans cons and international flights not being affected, and that's really an indication that the faa expects this to burn off eventually. >> kelly cramer and her family are flying to new england to visit family there. sfo flight was delayed a half hour.

>> hopefully we don't have to wait too long because it can be hard with a toddler and, you know, hopefully we can get going, get to our destination. >> christmas and new year are forecast to be the busiest both by air and on the roads. triple a says nearly 107 million people will be driving to celebrations. nearly 8 million americans are flying to their destinations, like lisa hecker, who's traveling from sfo to paris for the holidays. but she didn't think the airport was too crowded. >> less than i was expecting, so it's good. >> this past weekend, sfo averaged about 160,000 travelers a day. today they're expecting about that many, and tomorrow they're also expecting a busy day. but then it should taper off for the rest of the week at sfo. gloria rodriguez, abc seven news. >> the holiday commute on highway 24 was stalled by a fire in the caldecott tunnel this morning. the chp says a minivan burst into flames after colliding with another vehicle inside the eastbound portion of the tunnel just before 10:00.

the driver of the minivan got out safely, and no other injuries were reported, but all eastbound lanes had to be closed temporarily. now to breaking news. former president bill clinton is in the hospital after reportedly developing a fever. he's under observation and undergoing tests at medstar georgetown university hospital in washington, d.c. aides say clinton is awake and alert. a source close to the former president says the situation is not urgent and that he wanted to be checked out. clinton has faced a number of health scares since he left office in 2001. he is 78 years old. remembrances continue to pour in for the greatest athletic of all time. fans have been stopping by the 66th avenue gate of the coliseum to remember rickey henderson. the hall of famer, passed away friday at ucsf from complications with pneumonia and asthma. he was 65 years old, and he would have turned 66 on christmas day. henderson had a 25 year baseball career and is

major league baseball's all time leader in stolen bases, lead off home runs and runs scored. he'll surely be missed and forever remembered here in the bay area, and you can read more about henderson's life and baseball career on our website, abc7 news.com. and when we come back the day in court for the man accused of killing unitedhealthcare, ceo luigi mangione's attorney says mangione is being used as a political pawn. also, a house ethics committee shares the results of its

a cherished tradition set in 1915 san francisco. delight in a fun-filled holiday experience. ♪ tickets on sale now at sfballet.org

or courtroom for the murder of unitedhealthcare ceo brian

thompson. he was surrounded by law enforcement officers during his arraignment on the 11 count indictment. abc news reporter alaska harris has the details. >> with his hands and feet shackled, luigi mangione walked into a manhattan court dressed in a maroon sweater, white collared shirt and khaki pants. he only spoke once to enter the plea during his arraignment, charging the crime of murder in the first degree and other related charges. >> how do you plead to this indictment, sir? guilty or not guilty? >> not guilty. >> mangione faces 11 state charges in the death of united health care ceo brian thompson, and he faces separate federal charges. >> he's a young man, and he is being treated like a human ping pong ball. >> mangione's attorney saying elected officials are using him as political fodder. >> he was on display for everyone to see in the biggest staged perp walk i've ever seen in my career. it was absolutely unnecessary. >> mangione's high profile

arrival in new york last week after his arrest in pennsylvania. >> this act of terrorism and the violence that stems from it is something that would not be tolerated in the city. >> the mayor was talking to jurors, future potential jurors that elected him. those are the people that elected him that he is talking to and calling this man a terrorist. justice for some, not justice for all. >> outside of court, a chaotic scene as dozens of protesters chanting support for mangione, some holding handmade signs with messages including in luigi we trust and health over wealth. >> being called a terrorist is an insult to the intelligence of the american people. that's coming from a school teacher who has to deal with school shootings. >> the state's case is expected to be tried before the federal case. if convicted, the state charges carry a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. if convicted of the federal charges, mangione could get the

death penalty. alexis christoforous, abc news, new york. >> if you missed it on tv, manhunt, luigi mangione and the ceo murder a special edition of 2020 is now streaming on hulu. it takes a deep dive into the case that has fascinated the nation. president biden is taking 37 people off of federal death row. he announced this morning that he was commuting their sentences to life in prison without the possibility of parole. the majority of these individuals were convicted for murders, but biden did not excuse those with charges of terrorism or hate related killings. there are three people remaining on the federal death row. they include dzhokhar tsarnaev, one of two brothers responsible for the deadly boston marathon bombing in 2013. dylann roof, a white nationalist who killed nine people at a historically black church in charleston, south carolina, in 2015. and robert bowers, who killed 11 worshipers at pittsburgh's tree of life synagogue in 2018. the house

ethics committee has released its investigation into former representative matt gaetz, finding substantial evidence that gaetz violated florida's statutory statutory rape law and paid for sex, both allegations that gaetz denies. abc's christiane cordero has the details from washington. >> today, the house ethics report at the center of matt gaetz short lived confirmation process for attorney general has been made public. the bipartisan committee alleges between 2017 and 2020, gaetz paid 12 women for sex almost $100,000 combined, according to the report. one woman listed as victim a testified she was 17 years old and had just completed her junior year in high school in 2017 when she and gaetz had sex. she told investigators she received $400 in cash, which she understood was payment for sex, but did not tell gaetz she was underage at the time. and she says he didn't ask. the committee concluded there is substantial evidence gaetz violated florida's statutory

rape law. its years long investigation also found evidence of illegal drug use, acceptance of improper gifts, granting special favors to personal associates, and obstruction after gaetz refused to comply with subpoenas and withheld evidence from the committee. gaetz has long denied all wrongdoing and today disputed some of the findings in a post on x, writing quote, there is a reason they did this to me in a christmas eve eve report and not in a courtroom of any kind, where i could present evidence and challenge witnesses. a justice department investigation into similar allegations ended with no charges brought against him. last month, the house ethics committee voted not to release the report. then last week, members quietly voted to make it public. committee chairman representative michael guest said releasing the report after gaetz's resignation has potentially catastrophic consequences. congressman mark desaulnier says he voted in favor of releasing the report, saying transparency and accountability are crucial for good governance. gaetz filed a federal lawsuit today to try and

stop the report's release, saying it would cause damage to his reputation, calling the information defamatory, adding because he's a private citizen, he's no longer subject to the committee's jurisdiction. the committee released the report hours later. christiane cordero, abc news, washington. >> happening now hawaii's kilauea volcano is erupting again. this is video of when it first began, around 220 in the morning local time. officials say the volcanic activity is currently confined to the summit caldera, but they could see lava fountains as high as 262ft tall, with molten material and lava bombs being ejected from vents on the caldera floor. and here's a live picture of the conditions from a webcam. this is the fifth eruption at kilauea since december 2020, with the most recent in june that

at the hyatt hotel in san francisco, unanimously approved

a new union contract over the weekend. saturday's vote results ended with a three month strike, bringing hundreds of employees back to work for the busy holidays. the contract agreement is the same as the one marriott union workers approved last thursday. the terms include wage increases along with new protections against understaffing. nearly 650 workers remain on strike at the hilton hotel nearby in union square. nordstrom is going private once again. the department store's founding family said it is regaining control of the 123 year old company. the deal is expected to close early next year, but first must be approved by two thirds of nordstrom's common stockholders. the family tried to take the retailer private in 2018, but the board rejected the deal. since then, the company's stock value has plummeted. back in august, nordstrom closed down its flagship store in san francisco because of declining sales. after 35 years of business downtown. christmas and

hanukkah are just two days away, and that means there is still plenty of time to get gifts. abc's zohreen shah has some tips for last minute shoppers. >> still shopping for everyone on your list. do not fear. there's going to be opportunities where, yes, you can still get a really good deal. some stores will be rolling out last minute sales. retailers are still looking at what they have on their shelves, and they are trying to get that off their shelves as fast as possible. holiday specific items will likely be a great way to save, like gift sets. those are going to start dropping in price as the day gets closer to christmas. guarantee you'll have the gift by the 25th. by shopping in store or buying online and picking up in store. and that can sometimes be available that exact same day, or even in a couple of days. you may still be able to order for delivery in time for christmas from certain retailers before making up your mind on what to buy, though. look at the delivery dates first and the shipping fees. expedited

shipping costs can be pricey. what am i willing to pay in order to get this gift in on time? if you're not celebrating on christmas day, you may be able to take advantage of sales the day after christmas. after christmas, sales are definitely a thing, and retailers are knowing that shoppers have gift cards in their hands. and if you're down to the wire, gift cards are an easy last minute snack since they can be picked up in store or printed at home, or sent us an email or text directly to the recipient. you can never go wrong with gift cards. those are going to be some of the top gifts. in fact, a lot of people just say i would rather have a gift card. zohreen shah, abc news, los angeles. >> dozens of firefighters in the south bay are trading in their helmets for christmas hats today. how they brought holiday cheer to dozens of

early for some kids in the south bay who can't be home for the holidays. in this case, santa is several santa clara county firefighters. this morning, they dropped off christmas toys to dozens of young patients at valley medical center, including roston, houston. roston was injured recently in a fire at his family's home in santa cruz. >> it means a lot to me, and it's it makes me it humbles me just with what the valley and the people of the valley are doing. and it restores my, my whole faith and just people in general. >> it's a very special day for these kids. they're having a tough time, and we're here to spread some joy. >> this is the second year of the hospital toy giveaway. most of the gifts were donated by citizens who dropped them off at fire stations around santa clara

county. today, the san francisco sheriff's office announced that a fifth grader from ikwo elementary school is the winner of its holiday card contest. the department posted this video of sheriff paul miyamoto going to the school to congratulate vellani for her winning card. the holiday card contest has been an ongoing tradition, with kids from schools all over the city participating. happening tonight, it's the annual showdown of light displays. san francisco fire stations will be all decked out for their annual holiday decorations contest. this is video from last year's event. the tradition started in the late 1940s, with firehouses wrapped like christmas presents, and then it was revived in 2020. open houses will be held at city fire stations tonight, with the winners announced tomorrow on christmas eve. the sf fire credit union is putting up $4,000 in prize money, which will go to the charity of the winning station's choice. don't

forget it's monday night football here on abc seven. so here's a look at our primetime lineup at 530. coverage begins as the saints take on the packers. that's followed by after the game. then at 930 and ten, we have jeopardy! and wheel of fortune. and be sure to join us for a special edition of abc seven news at 1030 and 11. that's going to do it for this edition of abc seven news at three. thank you for joining us. world news tonight with david muir is next. and we'll see you back here at four. tonight, breaking news. the accused killer of unitedhealthcare ceo brian thompson appears in court to face the state charges against him. news just coming in, president bill clinton hospitalized. and the winter weather alerts for millions. first, luigi mangione appearing before a judge,